THE NUMBER of communities at high-risk for COVID-19 dropped 13.5 percent on Thursday and the state as a whole saw its numbers take a dive, according to the state’s weekly report.

The number of high-risk communities, identified as red on the state’s color-coded map, fell from 222 last week to 192 this week. The number of communities with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks plunged from 29 to 9.

Lawrence, which has been among the worst-off communities for months, saw its case count drop from 160.9 per 100,000 people to 109.9. Gardner was the highest, with 121.5 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Chelsea at 116.1.

The state as a whole had 59.4 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate (positive tests divided by total tests) of 5.51 percent, down from 75.5 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of 6.85 percent last week.

Bruce Mohl oversees the production of content and edits reports, along with carrying out his own reporting with a particular focus on transportation, energy, and climate issues. He previously worked...